The Shattered Crown (Beast Charmer, #3)

by Maxym M. Martineau

[Quirky Cat]

It's time! The Shattered Crown is the third and final installment of The Beast Charmer series by Maxym M. Martineau. I originally fell in love with this series thanks to all of the fantastical creatures it involved, not to mention a daring plot or two! So I'll be sad to say goodbye to this series.

Leena Edenfrell's life has changed so much over the past few years. First, she was used, abandoned, and banished. Then she was hunted. Now she has found her pair bond, Noc Feyreigner, and together they must stand tall against the rising threat of war and destruction that faces their people.

In a short span of time, Leena has gone from banished beast charmer to the new Crown of their council. So it is up to her to keep these people safe. But sometimes, protecting your own requires you to take risks and begin a new battle, as Leena will soon find out.

Wow. The conclusion to The Beast Charmer trilogy was every bit the whirlwind I was expecting, and then some! Our favorite characters go through so much during The Shattered Crown; it's almost unbearable.

The keyword being almost. I still happily read this book from start to finish, mind you. There were admittedly more twists and turns than I was expecting, not to mention several side plots. All of that worked well to further flesh out the world, though it sometimes slowed down the pace a bit.

I can't help but wonder if we'll see more stories from this world? I know that Leena and Noc's story is complete (technically, I could easily see a few more adventures!), but there are SO many secondary characters in this world. I could easily see one of them picking up the mantle and bringing us onward into something new.

Either way, I do appreciate what Maxym M. Martineau created here. I first fell in love with this series two books ago, as I was desperately craving a fantastic world that focused on magical beasts. I got that here, and thank goodness for it! Though if there is a new series in the future, I wouldn't say no to more time spent with those wonderful creatures...is that me being greedy again? Oops.

Long story short, The Shattered Crown was a solid conclusion to this series. I'm sad to see it go, but I am happy for its memories with me.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks